Black History Month, February 2025
This page honors the University-wide events, programs, conversations, and opportunities to celebrate Black History Month. Events will be added and updated throughout February, so be sure to check back regularly. Join us in engaging with this year’s theme: Labor and Love in the Time of Resistance.
Campus Wide Events Created For Students By Students
Campus-Wide Events
These events are brought to you by the Office of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI), Black Achievement, Success, and Engagement (BASE), Black Alumni Society, Black Community Council, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Cultural Centers, the Department of History, the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, the Office of the Provost, Student Engagement, and University Ministry.
Wine Down 2025: Black Faculty/Staff Appreciation
Date: Friday, January 24
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Sheba Piano Lounge (1419 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115)
Brought to you by: Black Alumni Society
Audience: Faculty, staff, and alumni
Join USF's Black Alumni Society for the third Wine Down, our annual event to celebrate and show appreciation for the contributions of our Black faculty and staff.
In this spirit of gratitude, USF Black faculty and staff have FREE admission to the event. Thank you for building a more inclusive USF where students feel valued, included, supported, and empowered.
This year, we will be at Sheba Piano Lounge in the Fillmore. Your admission includes a glass of wine, light refreshments, and more. The proceeds from alumni and guest admission ensure that we can host USF faculty and staff at this event free of charge, and that we can plan for future Black Alumni Society programming.
The Meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. Today
Date: Monday, January 27
Time: 12:00 - 1:15 p.m.
Location: Handlery Room, LM 100
Brought to you by: Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice
Audience: All are welcome
Please join us for a special community event at which we will rededicate ourselves to Dr. King’s vision of nonviolence, justice, moral leadership, and the creation of the Beloved Community. Members of the extended USF family will share their thoughts and feelings about Dr. King’s message and its relevance today:
- John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., Interim President, University of San Francisco
- Donal Godfrey, S.J., University Chaplain
- Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, Director, Masters In Counseling MFT Program, USF School of Education; Founder and Chief Executive Director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS)
- Bill Ong Hing, Director of the Immigration Clinic, USF School of Law
- Sabrina T. Kwist, Associate Vice Provost for Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Silena Layne, Director/Community Steward, Faithful Fools Program, USF Alumna
- Ronald Sundstrom, Professor, USF Department of Philosophy and African American
- Studies Program
- James Taylor, Professor, USF Department of Politics
Shattering The Glass Ceiling: Women, Wine & Business
Date: Thursday, January 30
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: Getty Study Lounge
Brought to you by: USF Gellert Family Business Center
Audience: All are welcome
Get ready to raise a glass at the Shattering The Glass Ceiling: Women, Wine, & Business networking event. Join us for an evening of:
1️⃣ Exquisite Wine Tastings: Sample a curated selection of wines that celebrate the season.
2️⃣ Perfect Pairings: Enjoy complimentary food and dessert designed to complement the presented wines.
3️⃣ Inspiring Conversations: Connect with African American women making waves in the local, national and international wine industries.
4️⃣ Unmatched Networking: Share the love and expand your professional and business networks in a relaxed and elegant setting.
BHM Men's Basketball Game Social
Date: Saturday, February 1
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: War Memorial Gym
Brought to you by: Black Community Council
Audience: All are welcome
Kick Off Black History Month! All Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to join us for a Community Social Hour before the game to celebrate the start of Black History Month.
After the reception, head to the game at 7 PM, featuring a special halftime performance by the USF Divine Nine Black Fraternities and Sororities. Alumni, faculty, and staff: Your registration for the pre-game reception includes a ticket to the game (if indicated during registration)
Current USF students: Tickets are FREE with your student ID! Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate community!
Open Mic Night at MoAD
Date: Sunday, February 2,
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Museum of the African Diaspora
Brought to you by: Black Achievement Success and Engagement (BASE)
Audience: All are welcome
Are you a spoken word artist, musician, or singer? Showcase your art in this Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) x BASE collaboration to kick off Black History Month. A portion of the evening will be dedicated to USF students, along with a special reception before the event at 4:30 pm. This event is free for artists and audience members. BASE will provide group rideshare options for performers if there is enough interest.
Street Soldiers Radio Show with Marshall Riley Living Learning Community
Date: Sunday, February 9
Time: 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: https://stayaliveandfree.org/programs/street-soldiers-radio/
Brought to you by: Alive and Free Leadership Academy and Black Achievement Success and Engagement (BASE)
Audience: All are welcome.
MRLLC has been invited to share their experience on the immersion trip that travels through Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia on the Street Soldier Radio show. Come and hear about the places they visited and what they experienced on this once in a lifetime trip.
Working Towards Freedom: An Intimate History of a Black Woman's Ascent From Slavery
Date: Wednesday, February 12
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Xavier Auditorium, Fromm Hall
Brought to you by: The College of Arts & Sciences
Audience: All are welcome
Weaving the story of her own ancestors' journeys from slavery to freedom in a speculative nonfiction tale, Professor Candice Harrison will discuss how a small, yet significant population of enslaved Black women used intimate relationships with white slaveholders to free themselves and their children in nineteenth-century Louisiana.
Regroup, Recharge
Date: Thursday, February 13 at 6:30-8:30 PM and Monday, February 24 at 4:00-6:00 PM
Location: Intercultural Center (UC 411/412)
Brought to you by: Cultural Centers
Audience: Students
A special Black History Month series hosted by our Community Connection Intern, Justin Boyle! The first session is in collaboration with the USF Black Student Union (BSU) with the theme: “Our Voices, Our Needs, Our Space”. This session will feature a curated agenda of topics designed to provide Black students a space to vent, identify unmet Black student needs, and come together in a community-oriented space. Join us for a night of community, snacks, and conversation!
The second session’s theme will be “Wellness Recharge”.
Black Alumni Society at the Black Joy Parade
Date: Sunday, February 23
Time: 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Downtown Oakland
Brought to you by: Black Alumni Society
Audience: All are welcome
The University of San Francisco Black Alumni Society will have a booth at the seventh annual Black Joy Parade, a celebration of the Black experience and the community's contribution to history. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to join at no cost as we connect with alumni and community members attending the parade.
If you are interested in volunteering with BAS at the festival, sign up here »
Melanated Mental Matters: Sisterhood in Love and Labor
Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: Black Resource Center (BRC)
Brought to you by: CAPS & Sister Connection
Audience: USF Students
Melanated Mental Matters is a monthly drop-in space where students come to have open and real talk about diverse topics affecting Black mental health and wellness. Led by CAPS Psychotherapist, Dr. Jevon Rice, and Advanced Practicum Psychotherapist, Briahna Jackson in collaboration with a different student group every month. Melanated Mental Matters is not group therapy, and you DO NOT have to be a CAPS client to join.
Black Joy Event
Date: Wednesday, February 26
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Mclaren 250-251
Brought to you by: University Ministry
Audience: Everyone
Calling all students a part of the Black Diaspora at USF: this is your night to shine! Join us for an unforgettable evening filled with games, live performances, and karaoke that bring us ALL together. Celebrate Black History Month with the beauty, power, and diversity of Blackness in a space that’s all about YOU!
"We Were Here" Film Screening
Date: Wednesday, February 26
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Xavier Auditorium (Room 120), Fromm Hall
Brought to you by: Department of History
Audience: All are welcome
Join us for a screening of “We Were Here” followed by a talk and Q&A by award-winning filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu. “We Were Here - The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe, exhibited in the Central Pavilion directed by Adriano Pedrosa at the 60ᵗʰ International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, sheds light on the overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, highlighting their depiction in masterpieces by some of the era’s most celebrated artists. How did they come to Europe? Why were they portrayed? Were they truly all servants or slaves? If the Black faces portrayed in these Renaissance masterpieces could speak, what would they tell us?”
More Info: https://www.wewereherethefilm.com
Glow & Grow
Date: Friday, February 28
Time: 11:45 am
Location: CAPS Group Room
Brought to you by: CAPS
Audience: Students
Grow and Glow is a therapy space focused on healing through connection and empowerment for those who navigate life through the unique a Black woman in body, spirit, identity--past, present, future, and fluid. In Grow and Glow, we aim to support each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities, encourage each other to enhance our self care and self compassion, as well as find validation and connection through our shared experiences. Undergraduate and Graduate students welcome!
USF Student Organizations
These events are brought to you by the African Student Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. & Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Black Student Union (BSU), the Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association, and the National Society of Black Engineers.
Join us for an engaging and vibrant African waist-beading and jewelry-making night! Celebrate our rich heritage as we explore the history and cultural significance of waist beads and African jewelry. Enjoy a hands-on experience creating your own unique pieces, all while bonding with others through music, storytelling, and fun activities. Discover the ancestral traditions behind these beautiful adornments and embrace the spirit of creativity and connection. This event is perfect for anyone looking to learn, create, and honor African culture in a meaningful way. We can't wait to create with you!
Pink Goes Red & Alphas Have Heart: Southern Line Dancing Class
Date: Friday, February 21
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: McClaren 250
Brought to you by: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. & Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
The members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc The Eta Sigma Chapter and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, The Upsilon Rho chapter will be teaching an engaging southern line dancing class where you can immerse yourself into a piece of southern culture while also getting your heart pumping.